Around the region for July 31, 2012

Monday

Jul 30, 2012 at 10:00 PM

Around the region for July 31, 2012.

Man, 26, missing for five days is sought

Gainesville police are searching for a man who has been missing for five days.

Omar Jabree Gibson, 26, was last seen on July 25 at 3:30 p.m., according to GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias, who said his family said it is uncommon for Gibson to not be heard from in such a long time.

“GPD investigators are actively following leads about Gibson’s activities before his disappearance,” Tobias said. “While we are not certain that the circumstances are suspicious, we are treating it as such for now.”

Gibson is described as around 5-foot-10 and weighing around 140 pounds. His last known address is 1107 SE 20th St..

The Northwest Daily News reported that 26-year-old Justin Blake Mitchell has being held at the Walton County Jail without bond since the July 12 incident.

According to arrest reports, Mitchell pointed a gun at the child and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t smoke marijuana. Authorities say he pointed the gun at his wife’s head and threatened to kill her. He’s also accused of robbing his wife of cash and personal property.

— The Associated Press

Girl, 15, shot while riding home from church

PINE HILLS — Deputies say a 15-year-old girl was shot while riding home from church with her parents near Orlando.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said the girl was a “completely innocent bystander” who got caught in the crossfire from two approaching vehicles on Sunday evening.

The Orlando Sentinel reported that the girl’s father turned onto another road to get out of the way. But a gunshot shattered the van’s rear window and his daughter was slumped over. Her condition was not immediately available.

Deputies say the girl and her family had gone to church to celebrate her mother’s birthday.

Witnesses said the gunfire came from an SUV and a sedan. Deputies said it appears the van driven by the girl’s family was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

— The Associated Press

Man swimming with pals later found dead in lake

WINTER HAVEN — Authorities said a man who struggled while swimming with friends and then went under at a Central Florida lake has been found dead.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reported that 25-year-old Eddie Lee Ricks was found dead Sunday in Lake Eloise, near Winter Haven.

Deputies said Ricks and three others were swimming at the lake when Ricks began to struggle. He eventually went under, and attempts to pull him from the water failed. A sheriff’s dive team found Ricks’ body several hours later in about 8½ feet of water near the area where he disappeared.

An autopsy will determine an official cause of death, but deputies say it appears Ricks drowned.

— The Associated Press

Report: Boy lied about his sisters being abducted

PORT ST. LUCIE — Police say a report of two girls being abducted at gunpoint in St. Lucie County was a hoax.

A Port St. Lucie boy has been arrested for making the false report, which prompted a police search on ground and in the air.

A police spokesman said the boy reported his sisters were taken Sunday afternoon by six masked individuals, one wielding a gun.

A search ensued and surveillance tape was reviewed, but the boy eventually confessed that no kidnapping took place.

— The Associated Press

Report: Woman, 62, shot, killed man over beer

CONCH KEY — Deputies in the Florida Keys said a 62-year-old woman known as “the sea hag” fatally shot a 64-year-old man who refused to give her a beer.

When deputies arrived Sunday night, Carolyn Dukeshire and a witness were waiting on them. Paramedics assisted Martin Mazur, who died later at Fisherman’s Hospital.

Thirty-year-old Casey Whippo told deputies Mazur was in a group of people who had just returned from dinner at the Brass Monkey in Marathon. They were sitting outside drinking beer when Dukeshire walked up and asked for a beer.

When Mazur refused to give her one, she reportedly shot him five times in the abdomen, back and wrist.